October 20, 2017

October 18, 2017

Chengdu, China: Tibet Hotel Chengdu; hotel review

Tibet Hotel Chengdu  

No.10 North People's Road, +86)28-83183388.  4 stars.  271 rooms; 17 floors.  Fitness center.  2 restaurants.  No pets.  Free parking. 

Situated on the banks of the Jinjiang River adjacent to the downtown area, the atmospheric Tibet Hotel Chengdu features comfortable rooms with raised bathtubs and Tibetan touches.  Bathroom amenities are contained in a decorative box.  The gift shop consists of a museum-like Tibetan Culture Shopping Promenade that offers spectacular treasures for sale, and a full-size artificial yak resides in the spacious lobby.  Though I missed the Cloud Incense Bar, where you can “making friends with incense,” it does sound intriguing and worth seeking out.  Tibetan folk songs are sung and Tibetan tea is served every evening in the bar from 8:30 to 9 p.m., and a Tibetan performance and banquet is sometimes held in the Red Palace Banqueting Hall.  

lobby of Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China
lobby of Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China


artificial yak in lobby of Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China
artificial yak in lobby of Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China


gift shop arcade at Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China
gift shop arcade at Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China


guest room at Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China
guest room at Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China


guest room bathroom at Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China
guest room bathroom at Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China


view from guest room at Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China
view from guest room at Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China


Tibetan breakfast with yak butter tea at Tibet Hotel Chengdu in Chengdu, China
Tibetan breakfast with yak butter tea at Tibet Hotel Chengdu
in Chengdu, China



More things to do in Chengdu.

Best souvenirs of China.

More ideas for exploring Asia and the South Pacific. 


images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

October 13, 2017

Chengdu, China: Huang Cheng Lao Ma; restaurant review

Huang Cheng Lao Ma  

20, 2nd Ring Rd South, 3rd Section.

In a city famous for hot pot, this is the most famous of the hot pot restaurants.

seating along conveyor belt at Huang Cheng Lao Ma hot pot restaurant in Chengdu, China
seating along conveyor belt at Huang Cheng Lao Ma hot pot restaurant in Chengdu, China


This traditional meal is served in untraditional style here and includes a buffet that alone could fill you up.  You can choose from dim sum-style dumplings, fresh fruit, and salad, and also mix up your own dipping sauce.  Diners have a choice of sitting at small tables, or at a long raised bar where a moving conveyor belt presents constantly changing selections for you to put in your personal hot pot.  Hot pots come in mild, hot, and extra hot (hot is so hot that I didn’t want to find out what extra hot is like).  Opting for the basic yuanyang style (half spicy, half mild) seems like the way to go.  I especially liked the mushrooms, but did not even try the fish heads.  Rumor has it that Michelle Obama ate here.  A free “children-keeping” area is on the second floor for under age 6, and a tea house is on the fourth floor.  






October 10, 2017

Palm Springs, California: 533 Viet-Fusion; restaurant review

533 Viet Fusion  

1775 E Palm Canyon Dr., #625, in Smoke Tree Village Shopping Center, (760) 778-6595.

I wasn’t expecting much from a shopping mall Vietnamese restaurant.  Turns out I was in for a surprise.  The spacious open dining room at 533 Viet Fusion offers plenty of comfortable seating on some midcentury-style orange and white chairs.  A full bar produces drinks made delicious by a talented bartender, most notably a gorgeous pink Guava Mojito and a delicious mai tai-like Rum Rickshaw.

A great dinner can be composed from several shared dishes.  A spring roll from the dedicated spring roll bar makes a perfect appetizer/salad course.  Then choose a curry--the exceptionally yummy yellow curry has a deep and complex flavor--and perhaps also a sweet tamari-glazed salmon dish served with noodles.  Dessert is easy because there is currently only one choice--coconut-lime crème brulee, which the management decided on because that is what everyone ordered when they previously offered a longer menu. 

dining room at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California
dining room at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California


Guava Mojito at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California
Guava Mojito at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California


spring rolls at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California
spring rolls at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California


yellow curry at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California
yellow curry at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California


tamari-glazed salmon at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California
tamari-glazed salmon at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California


coconut-lime crème brulee at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California
coconut-lime crème brulee at 533 Viet Fusion in Palm Springs, California

533 Viet Fusion Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


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images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 


October 6, 2017

Chengdu, China: Sichuan Opera at Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse; things to do

Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse  

23 Qintai Rd., in Chengdu Culture Park, Qingyang District.  130 RMB including tea. 

A favorite venue to see Sichuan Opera, this old theater presents a nightly 1½-hour show that includes as well as traditional Sichuan folk performances featuring stick puppets, fire spitting, and face changing.  The audience at Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse sits as viewers would have long ago, in comfortable oversize bamboo lounge chairs, and are served tea and nibbles.  Massage and ear wax cleaning is available before and during the performance, and before the show starts the audience has access to the dressing rooms to watch the performers getting ready.  Several more attractions are adjaent:  Qingyang Taoist Temple, Wuhou Memorial Temple, and Dufu Cottage.

night exterior of Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse in Chengdu, China
night exterior of Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse in Chengdu, China


interior of Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse in Chengdu, China
interior of Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse in Chengdu, China


Sichuan Opera performers get ready at Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse in Chengdu, China
Sichuan Opera performers get ready at Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse
in Chengdu, China


Sichuan Opera performer poses at Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse in Chengdu, China
Sichuan Opera performer poses at Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse
in Chengdu, China


Sichuan Opera performer poses at Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse in Chengdu, China
Sichuan Opera performer poses at Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse
in Chengdu, China

 
Sichuan Opera performance at Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse in Chengdu, China
Sichuan Opera performance at Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse in Chengdu, China



More things to do in Chengdu.

Best souvenirs of China.

More ideas for exploring Asia and the South Pacific. 

 
images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers


October 4, 2017

Palm Springs, California: Tyler’s Burgers; restaurant review

Tyler’s Burgers  

149 S. Indian Canyon Dr., (760) 325-2990.  L-D M-Sat (11am-4pm). 

Delicious old-fashioned hamburgers and hot dogs, housemade tangy coleslaw and killer potato salad, and super-refreshing root beer floats combine at Tyler's Burgers  with reasonable prices--making a wait to get in likely.  Though the tarp-covered outside seating and misters make patio seating prime, a sweet little area inside provides a cozy alternative.  For smaller appetites, sliders let you fine-tune your portion.  Restrooms are almost a block away!, so don’t wait too long and allow extra time because you probably won’t be able to run in the heat.  

exterior of Tyler's Burgers in Palm Springs, California
exterior of Tyler's Burgers in Palm Springs, California


covered patio at Tyler's Burgers in Palm Springs, California
covered patio at Tyler's Burgers in Palm Springs, California


interior counter at Tyler's Burgers in Palm Springs, California
interior counter at Tyler's Burgers in Palm Springs, California


small lunch at Tyler's Burgers in Palm Springs, California
small lunch at Tyler's Burgers in Palm Springs, California

Tyler's Burgers Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


More things to do in Palm Springs.

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images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 


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